PANEL - Spotlight on our Austin Summit Partner Organizations

Featured Speakers:

Chris Patin, Program Specialist at Texas Music Office

The Texas Music Office's Chris Patin leads the Texas Music Incubator Rebate Program, a historic tax rebate initiative for music venues and festivals. He oversees the complete program administration, from the intake and review of applications to the distribution of funds.
Chris brings 15 years of experience in music and events to the Texas Music Office. As tour manager for Chvrches, The Temper Trap, and The Twilight Sad, he led touring concert productions in over 40 countries worldwide. Across multiple roles at South by Southwest, Chris helped bring artists, brands, and industry professionals together for the annual conferences and festivals in Austin. He has also worked in mechanical & sync licensing, artist management, label distributions, and as a volunteer piano & guitar teacher for underserved children.
Chris has logged countless hours performing and working in venues and music festivals. He is proud to serve the Texas music community and support the music venues and festivals that have provided a familiar home to him for so many years.  
Chris holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas and an MBA from St. Edward's University. Born and raised in Texas, Chris has called Austin home for over 20 years. He has also lived in New York and spent considerable time operating from Glasgow & London. 

Patrick Buchta, CEO of Austin Texas Musicians

Pat Buchta serves as Chief Executive Officer of Austin Texas Musicians, a 501c3 and c4 organization that represents 5,000+ Central Texas musicians on city, state and federal policy, and provides services to meet their most basic needs. As a working musician, an experienced community advocate, and a liver transplant recipient, Pat has found purpose in paying it forward, leading with an open heart, and helping his tribe of artists keep music alive in the "Live Music Capital of the World".

Matt Ott, Vice Chairman and Co-Founder of Sonic Guild Austin

Matt Ott has co-founded two nonprofits to help local music communities around the country: the Austin Music Foundation and Sonic Guild. Sonic Guild has contributed millions in positive economic impact to Austin’s music scene and creative culture through direct grants and payments to musicians and music businesses. Sonic Guild is now expanding to Seattle, Colorado and beyond. With over 25 years of technology and marketing experience for Fortune 500 companies, startup businesses and non-profit organizations, Matt’s approach to his work is grounded in innovation, respect, and clarity of mission.

Ashley White, Co-Chair of Women in Music Austin

Ashley White is a publicist, strategist, and advocate for musicians and clients within the entertainment realm. After a nearly 20-year career in music public relations, White started Ashley White Public Relations to do what she loves most – to tell stories behind talent.

The daughter of two musicians, the New Orleans-native knew from her first concert (she was the 5-year-old with the sequin glove at The Jackson Five’s Victory Tour) that she would carve a path in the music industry. 

She graduated with a B.A. in English and Communications at Loyola University New Orleans and swiftly set out to New York City.

She found a home for the next 15 years at Atlantic Records, where she entered the seminal label as a Publicity Assistant left as a Vice President of the department. During her tenure she worked closely with fun., Vance Joy, Portugal. The Man, Kaleo, and more to build their stature as developing artists to household names.  She learned the art of telling her artists’ stories, and the significance it had on defining and differentiating them in the media.  “I secured coverage of our artists in everything from Ultimate Fighter to Food & Wine,” White says.

In 2018, White added entrepreneur to her CV and started Ashley White Public Relations, where she enjoys working one-on-one with a diverse client and genre roster with one common thread—each client has a story that contributes something positive to the world.  Her clients include Jason Mraz, Neon Trees, LP, GRAMMY-winning hard rock band Halestorm, pop-punk darlings Daisy Grenade, Disney Concerts, and a cappella group Straight No Chaser.

Whether it’s female empowerment, LGBTQ+ equality, advocacy for the arts, or music to express the range of human emotion, every artist on AW PR’s roster can and does touch individual lives through their music or personal stories. And to help communicate their stories through the media is a true privilege that is equal parts humbling and empowering.  According to White, it’s “the best job in the world.”

Now in her twentieth year of public relations, White is still telling stories—and she may even have a few of her own.

White is now a proud resident of Austin, TX  where she is the inaugural Co-Chair of Women in Music’s newly formed Austin chapter, White lives with her husband, two kids, and dog Louis. Her own personal performance art of choice is karaoke, and Ike and Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary” is always a given.

Moderator: Sharon Tapper, Executive Director of MMF-US

Sharon Tapper is the Executive Director of the Music Managers Forum-US, the leading trade association for artist managers and self-managed artists in the United States. Serving the music community by providing educational resources, networking opportunities and advocacy efforts on behalf of managers, self-managed artists, and the music community at large that supports them. The MMF-US is part of a larger global network, the International Music Managers Forum (IMMF) – an organization that connects more than sixty-five Music Manager Forums around the world (inc. Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand).

Prior to joining the MMF-US Tapper worked in London as the Assistant Manager at Sarm West Studios, before relocating to the U.S. where in Los Angeles she worked at both Left Bank Management and Gallin Morey Management. Shortly after moving to New York she transitioned into music publishing becoming the third U.S. employee at Kobalt Music Publishing and their VP Creative for eight years. Following that she was hired to be the SVP Music Publishing at Razor & Tie Music Publishing. Tapper was elected to serve multiple terms totaling fourteen years as Governor & Secretary of the NY Chapter of the GRAMMY’s, serving six consecutive terms as Co-Chair of their Advocacy Committee, on which she continues to diligently serve. She also served four years on the NY Chapter of the Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP). For ten years she Co-Funded and ran the New York City Creative Community (NYC3).